Muddy Mutleys

Dog Training & Behaviour Specialists

A Physically Exhausted dog isn’t necessarily a Calm Dog

What do I mean? I mean that running around chasing a ball isn’t necessarily what’s best either mentally or physically for your dog.  However, mental stimulation will very often result in a more content, less frustrated dog.

If you google mental stimulation the description you will find is “it enriches your dog’s life by giving them something meaningful to do”. Basically, anything that activates, stimulates, or enriches the brain is mental stimulation.

Many people believe that the way to tire a dog is to throw a ball or to make sure that they get plenty of chances to run, but actually, this increases adrenaline and cortisol. It increases stress if you have a collie as they are bred to stop movement.

If you are about to leave them for a period of time then it is much better to do mindful activities.

Think about when you go to the gym or play sport, afterwards you are more energetic for a while whereas studying or reading makes you feel calmer and more tired.  We want our dogs to learn that being calm feels just as good as the adrenaline fueled activities.  

A dog using their brain learns to be mindful and to problem solve. Many dogs have been bred to work with us, so giving them opportunities to do activities with us is brilliant for our bond with them.  

Some dogs find walking stressful so by increasing brain work you can keep them mentally and physically fit and healthy without the need for facing so many stressful situations. Having lots of ways to give your dog enrichment is also useful if you or they are unwell and unable to go out for a walk.

To keep your dog “mentally well” they should receive on average 20 minutes of brain work per day.

Keeping your dog mentally stimulated can prevent unwanted behaviours such as chewing, barking, even self-mutilation.  It prevents them from becoming frustrated and is a necessary part of their daily routine and welfare requirement.

If you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, adapted by Linda Michael for dogs, you can see where mental stimulation is a necessity in the overall welfare of our dogs.  Using their brain promotes endorphins and dopamine helping them to feel calm and alleviating anxiety and stress and giving them a sense of purpose. 

Our dogs have been bred to perform certain roles, for us, but so many are unemployed and this can cause them to look for jobs to do which are then seen by us as problem behaviours.      

When walking our dogs we should consider what a walk means to them.   Access to new smells and social interactions and a certain amount of control over where he goes, what he sniffs and who he interacts with are all important for their well being. 

Dogs are social beings and learning to build and maintain relationships is very important, if they are restricted from these activities for any reason, it is important that we increase their options through other means. 

Selecting types of stimulation

Is your dog a boisterous youngster or a couch potato? Does your dog have any behaviour problems, are they sensitive to being handled, unhappy if approached when eating, these will all have a bearing on the types of games and enrichment you give. 

Your dog is an individual no matter what age, breed or gender, he is unique.  Additionally, he will have routines and expectations based on learning history. This is worth bearing in mind if you are looking at enrichment as part of a recuperation program and care plan. 

Although a unique individual, there are some character traits or categories of dogs that need consideration.  For example, under 3 and especially under 18 months, you may need to look at enrichment opportunities that differ from those for an older dog. 

What do you know about your dog’s breed? If you can add some games to your toolkit that satisfy their natural instincts this will provide them with some great stimulation e.g. are they herders, retrievers, searchers etc.

Spaniels are dogs that are bred to find birds, hold them in their mouths and parade around with them showing how clever they are.  They will hang on to their prize for dear life.  This is why they are so prone to resource guarding.  The more we try to remove things from them the more determined they will be to hang on to things.  So opportunities to find things and then parade around with them will make them feel really good.

Scentwork games are great for this little breed, impulse control games and tuggy play. Make sure that when playing tuggy you end on a calm note. Being calm means they get to play again.  At the end of the session, cue that it is the end, end on a calm note and give your dog something to chew. Chewing releases endorphins and the action of licking and gnawing is hugely relaxing for our dogs.  .   https://tug-e-nuff.co.uk/ Discount Code: MUDDY10

You also need to consider your dog’s age. Younger dogs and puppies cannot concentrate for long period of times, and you would be better to keep sessions very short and frequent throughout the day. They will find this very tiring. Older dogs will enjoy more mental work than physical work as their limbs often tire before their brains.

Be mindful that if your dog has any health conditions you need to take these into account when devising your games e.g. if they have arthritis don’t hide things upstairs! If your dog is a young puppy then we want to limit jumping and stepping over things that are over hock height. 

Remember to consider your dog’s personality, you know them best and you will know the types of games that they are likely to enjoy.

Make Mealtimes more Interesting

How we feed can often be more important than what we feed and meal times is the perfect opportunity to introduce some enrichment, as long as we are not building up frustration by making it hard for a really hungry dog to access their food.

There are many off the shelf interactive feeders. Go for quality and recognised brands such as Kong, Nina Otterson, Connectables and so on.

https://k9connectables.com/?ref=3612

https://www.kongcompany.com/en-uk/

https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/the-best-interactive-toys-and-food-puzzles-for-your-dog

Always introduce these toys slowly and make them simple at first using food that is high value so that they really get into the toy.  They will not be interested if it is too much effort for little or no perceived reward or value. Make sure they can get to the food easily. 

By encouraging them to use their brain to access food we are activating Dopamine through the seeking system, that makes us feel fulfilled.  We are also giving them the opportunity to lick and chew, which helps to release endorphins and calm the dog.  We are adding value to the food and the feeding experience. It’s also great for dogs that eat really quickly. Using these toys encourages quiet perseverance in working for a delayed reward. 

You can also use empty egg boxes, toilet rolls with the ends folded and with paper stuffed in there too so the dog gets to pull it all out and rip it all up. Cereal boxes, tea bag boxes, all your recycling as long as there are no staples or tape on them.  You can use a variety of wet and dry food, soaked dry food, and you can freeze toys such as the Kongs too. 

Plastic bottles with the plastic ring removed are great for filling with treats and you can let the dog knock it about and roll it around so the treats drop out. You can add additional holes along the length of the bottle. Make sure you stay with the dog when playing with items such as these though in case they start to rip off small ingestible chunks. 

Using that nose

Dogs love to use their noses, it’s their way of seeing the world and is much more highly developed than their eyesight.  Scatter feed them in the garden, in the kitchen or scatter food in their crate or on their mat.  You can smear food on plant pots so they can lick it off or flick yoghurt that they can then lick from the grass.  It’s lovely to use different textures of treats, licky, chewy, crunchy, all give them different sensations and exercise different parts of their mouths. 

Play hide and seek by hiding treats or filled food toys around the house for him to find. At first have someone gently restrain him or ask for a sit and wait while you hide the toy or food item, let him watch you do it, then release him to “find it”.  After a few repetitions once he understands the game you can set up another room or the garden then take him there to “find it”.  

Tea towels and Boxes

You can teach a push by wrapping treats up in a rolled-up towel then encouraging your dog to push the towel open to find the treats. 

You can also roll treats into towels and then place them rolled up in boxes so that your dog has to pull the treats out of the boxes and shake them to get the treats. 

Hide treats in different boxes and in different configurations. You can put treats under the flaps, some they may have to put their head into to find the treat, some may be on top of the box, this all increases confidence and can help young dogs get used to novel shapes and items. 

You can fill a box with noisy items mixed with softer non noisy items and let your puppy investigate to get them used to different noises and sudden noises. 

Chewing

This is appropriate for all dogs of all ages, not just teething puppies.  It can be a full body workout, alleviates stress and frustration, and gives teeth a good clean. To get them started you can always smear the chew with something tasty such as pate or baby food. Avoid rawhide chews if possible and be sure to avoid cooked bones.

Tricks and Treats

Teaching tricks is a great way to teach your dog new skills and to bond with them and use their brains. As stated before, they have been bred to work with us so many will love this opportunity to work with you.  Use this time to do something useful such as teach them to go to a mat, or fun like teaching them to lie flat to the cue “bang”.  This posture is great to promote calm.  Look at Real Dog Yoga we teach dogs to hold stretches and calming postures to promote calm. The options are limited only by your dog’s physical ability and stage of development.

Teach your dog to target a spoon, or to push, ring a bell, or shut the cupboard door, to pull and then open the washing machine… it’s endless.  

REMEMBER TO GIVE YOUR DOG PLENTLY OF REST: PUPPIES NEED 18 HOURS OF SLEEP A DAY FOR EXAMPLE AND A RECOVERING DOG WILL NEED PLENTY OF REST TOO.  

Puppy Gym/Obstacle Courses

One of my favourite activities is to set up an adventure course, with lots of different surfaces and items for the dog to explore and sniff around the garden.  Walking on different surfaces builds confidence and promotes learning and balance, firing off different synapses in the brain as they go.  For puppies make sure nothing is too high, for older dogs include cavaletti, wobble boards, higher platforms, and old logs to walk over. 

We can also observe a lot as they are doing this, are there surfaces they avoid, or do they only walk in one direction, are they picking each leg up equally, are they in balance. The more we do with our dogs mindfully the more we get to know who they are and can spot potential medical issues. 

A digging pit is also nice. You can use a child’s oyster shell paddling pool or an old plastic dog bed, which you can put sand in, and then bury treats in the sand. It can be shut up to keep out rain and cats.

A sand pit and water area are easy features for you to create at home.